Li Wei and Song Yishan returned home in the evening after a fun day out. She skipped along the corridor towards her room when a maid came to find her. "Eldest miss, your father requests for your presence in the study."
Li Wei paid special efforts to appear kind, as not to scare off the servants. "En, thank you. I'll be there soon, you can go back to what you were doing."
Her father was quite a good boss. He was generous with his payments and laid back as long as they performed what they were paid to do. He even had special treatments.
Birthdays were rewarded with extra pay and each month, a servant could earn up to four days off. Vacation days could be saved up if unused. Behind her father's cold facade, he was quite the softie.
In her room, Li Wei changed into a traditional dress belonging to the style of Hai'an gifted by her father. This dress was a matching two piece of deep purple silk. Patterns of silver lotuses decorated the purple backdrop.
On her head, she wore a silver hat and on her neck dangled a large silver necklace. Both were a set with carvings and ornaments of flowers and butterflies. She wore no earrings and left the yellow dandelion untouched on her ear.
As she walked over to the study, her hair danced freely behind with each step she took. Her father was not a formal man. If he wanted to see her, he would've came over himself. To have a servant do it instead, this only meant one thing.
Khan Bojing was correct. The long awaited guest was here.
She entered gracefully into the large study. This room was different from her father's personal study. It was much bigger, fancily decorated, and had the necessary furniture to accommodate the welcoming of guests.
One whole wall of the room opened like sliding doors, connecting the view of the back garden with the indoor. Two men sat across each others, separated by a well crafted black marble table. The man on the left was her father and the man on the right... was the current emperor, Khan Yingjie.
Li Wei forced a smile on her face as she bowed respectfully. "This humble one greets Your Majesty."
Khan Yingjie placed down the cup of tea in his hand, his eyes full of interest. "Shangwu, this is your daughter?"
"En, my daughter." Yue Shangwu couldn't see her, but he recognized her voice. He waved her over to the table. "Come here, Biya."
She sat down next to her father, making sure her posture was perfect along with the smile on her face.
The emperor studied her for a moment and said, "Old friend, your daughter is quite the beauty."
As her father didn't respond, Li Wei only smiled shyly. "Yue Biya is undeserving of Your Majesty's high praise."
The emperor shook with a satisfied laugh. "If I remember correctly, Fangyin still has an unwed cousin of prestigious background. Perhaps a meeting between the two can spark the possibility of marriage?"
Yue Shangwu's hand shook ever so slightly under the table. "Your Majesty, don't scare my daughter. She is still young, let her play a couple more years."
The emperor didn't push the matter further. There was still time. Instead, he changed the topic to something else. "Not interested in marriage... Then Yue Biya, are you interested in magic?"
"I..." Li Wei bashfully turned to her father, allowing him to make the call. Her hand held onto his arm.
Yue Shangwu spoke sternly, even if it was the emperor he was talking to. "Biya is my child, but she has been gone for too long. Even she starts learning now, she'll fall behind. I have no plans on teaching her."
Immediately after her father finished talking, the emperor slapped the table in objection. His powerful voice roared, "Such an important matter and you made the decision by yourself?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive my father. He was only speaking on my behalf. The truth is, I'm not interested in learning." The truth actually was, she felt no remorse for what her father said and she could careless of what the emperor thought.
Khan Yingjie was not like Khan Bojing. Even now, she couldn't piece it on how the two could be father and son.
He was hot headed and his patience was at bare minimum. As the emperor, he had never been denied of any of his wishes. Whether small or big, all his decisions were followed through.
Because of their constant disagreements, Khan Bojing previously forbade her from speaking to his father directly. Whatever she needed to convey, she would relay it to him instead.
The emperor angrily yelled at her, "Who raised you all these years? You dare to speak to the emperor so rudely?"
Li Wei wanted to roll her eyes. Attack her personally, that was fine. What need was there to bring in her caregivers?
Still, her eyes lowered in an obedient manner. "Yue Biya apologizes for my mistake."
"Yingjie, I already informed you before." Yue Shangwu called the emperor directly to show his strong opposition. He was not afraid of the emperor. "I will be the last of my kind."
"Considering the time you've served me, I'll grant you a month to reconsider." He was the emperor, the most important figure of Hai'an. Everyone else must bend to his ways. "Whether or not you'll be off to Le'kai depends on your answer."
She childishly stuck out her tongue behind the emperor's back as he left coldly. Don't come back.
Song Yishan came running in as soon as he saw the emperor leaving. "Big sister, what happened?"
"The emperor is being petty because father didn't want me to take over his position." Li Wei sneered, not holding back on her disdain for the man. "Emperor but selfish and self centered."
Song Yishan's eyes almost bulged out. "Big sister, shh. Not so loud."
She shrugged mischievously, showing no regrets for the insult she just spat.
Yue Shangwu wordlessly stood up and held his guiding stick in his hand. After his master also left, Song Yishan sneakily pulled out the bag he had hidden behind. "Big sister, I got us some peaches. Wash the bitterness with sweetness."
. . .
Li Wei's legs dangled off the edge of the pavilion next to Song Yishan's in the front garden. In her hand was a ripe peach. The meat was soft and the flavor was refreshing and sweet. When she took each bite, the juice swelled out.
Song Yishan finished one peach and took a bite of a second one. "Mmm, this is delicious."
She nodded her head in agreement. "Thanks, Yishan. You always share the best with me."
He opened his mouth to reply, but instantly closed it again.
"Xiao Wei."
Khan Bojing's low voice calling out her name tenderly caused her to almost choke in surprise. Her large eyes looked up from the peach to where he stood in front of the steps.
Today, he was dressed in dark green robes with gold embroideries. His hair hung loosely in a high ponytail.
He laughed at her guilty face, making his way over. "Eating again, I see."
"Bojing, join us." Song Yishan recovered and threw a peach in the prince's direction.
Khan Bojing easily caught it in his hand. Instead of eating, he held the peach against the sunlight. It indeed, looked inviting. However, he didn't want that one.
His quick hands snatched Li Wei's and handed her his peach in return. With her peach in his possession, he eagerly took a large bite.
They've recently kissed and how he just ate what she had been eating... Li Wei couldn't bring herself to meet his burning gaze. She looked at everything else other than him.
Finally, she managed to mutter, "How does it taste? Is it to your liking?"
"Sweet."
His response successfully caught her attention. Li Wei finally looked up.
Khan Bojing licked his lips all the while his eyes were glued onto her own. "It's definitely to my liking."
Her cheeks flushed at his suggestive behavior. As an attempt escape his undivided attention, she pushed the peach in her hands towards him.
Khan Bojing shamelessly took a bite before placing it back in her hands. His playful voice teased her endlessly, "Should be sweeter now."
Li Wei's heartbeat drummed against her chest and her lips curled up. She silently took another bite. "Eh, sweet."
Bojing ah, calm down with your flirting. Song Yishan secretly complained. He suddenly felt like his peach has turned bitter. Show some mercy, he was single.
Still, Song Yishan performed his duty, "Bojing, your father just came by."
Khan Bojing stopped eating and focus his attention on Song Yishan. "What did he said?"
"Not sure exactly, but Master Yue refused to let big sister learn magic and he got mad."
Khan Bojing's voice soften noticeably when talking to her. "Xiao Wei, you don't want to?"
It'd be a lie if she said she hadn't considered the multiple aspects of the situation. Her brain already started turning when she found out about her father.
This prince, how could he not figure it out yet? Song Yishan felt a headache forming. Looks like he'll have to break it down.
He pulled Khan Bojing to a standing position, his eyes accusing the prince as guilty. "Master refused to teach big sister because of you."
Khan Bojing immediately protested, "What about me? I have no objections. Xiao Wei can do as she wishes."
"Aiya, what a fool you are!" Song Yishan placed the couple together while he backed up. Just in case.
His finger pointed at them, from one person to the next before straightforwardly declaring, "If big sister becomes a sorceress and you two marry, she'll only have one child!"